Thank you for stopping by my blog. I am on a journey of self discovery.
This includes, faith, family, health, wellness, essential oils and more. If you like something, share it, if you have a comment, post it, if you don't like something - sorry.
Check out my website www.wholehealth.vibrantscents.com
or my husband's and my business page www.totaldisplays.com
Blessings, Peace Abundance to all
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Friday, January 16, 2015

Today, a little bit about me. Because ultimately a wellness journey is about yourself. What is your why? You hear that all the time from life coaches and network marketing coaches. I have a lot of "whys".

I have four photos I have up around the house.

The first is from my wedding day. This photo is in our living room. I felt amazingly beautiful, loved and amazing. It was a perfect day. I was starting my life with the love of my life. I truly am not a superficial person. I am more comfortable in sweat pants and a sweat shirt but like to dress up and look nice. BUT I don't like the way I feel, the way my body looks, when I am over weight and out of shape. I don't notice other people that are overweight (unless they are morbidly obese) but I sure notice it when I am.

The second picture is from a work function that my husband and I attended. The proverbial little black dress. We were married in 1996 and our beautiful daughter was born in December of 1999. I gained a TON of weight during my pregnancy. Apparently, subconsciously, I decided I could eat anything while I was pregnant. My OB-GYN actually reprimanded me for gaining so much weight. My food of choice was pepperoni, green olive pizza. We have all heard the saying, "you should eat more, you are eating for two". I took that literally. After Elsie was born I started working out in a gym with a personal trainer. I had never been in a gym before let alone really exercise! After a period of time I was in the best shape I had ever been. I did cardio, I ate right and I lifted weights. The fat melted off me! I felt great.

The third picture is when Elsie was about 1. We were at a Hanken family reunion in Omaha. We recently discovered this picture. I don't think I had ever seen it. My husband, David's Father passed away just before Thanksgiving. Between 2000 and 2014 we lost all 4 of our parents and a Grandma. We were down in Iowa cleaning out the house and going though over 60 years of memories. I will write more about that later. We discovered this picture. I picked it up and all I could say was, "Whoa who is that woman"? (Spoiler alert - this was a bit of a turning point for me). This one hangs on our bathroom wall.

The fourth picture is from my nieces wedding. We had our amazing son Porter in 2002. I worked out as long as I could while pregnant with Porter. I carried him so low that it was actually painful to walk. I remember going to the gym and talking to my trainer in tears. I had to tell him, I just couldn't keep going, it hurt too much. Luckily I did not backslide much and was able to get back at it for awhile after Porter was born. This was probably the longest that I kept at it. This picture is in my office at work.

So you ask, what happened between 2002 and 2014? A LOT. Life happened, Motherhood happened, business ownership happened, financial stress happened, we lost the last 3 of our parents during that time, the kids schedules got busy, the kids activities got more expensive and busier, my husband bought a business, he was not paying himself (all the money went back into the business) he moved the business into a larger space with higher rent, there was a small financial system collapse (disastrous for small business owners - he was still not paying himself), I quit my job where I was part owner of a successful company, I traveled a lot for my new job, I quit tha!t job and took another job that was absolutely horrible - I was never home, I quit that job and went to work in David's business. People say the most stressful things a person can go through are death of a family member, changing jobs and/or moving. Let's just add financial stress to that issue.

These are not excuses they are reality. They are reality for many people. What have I learned? You have to take care of yourself. You can't care for others if you don't take care of yourself.

What happened? I quit taking care of myself. What do a lot of parents and business owners do? They sacrifice themselves for their families and for their work. I forgot what it felt like to feel great. I forgot what it was like to look great.

Yes, this is about me. That is my first why. My second why is my family. I want to be here for them for a long time. I want to be an active Grandparent (when that time comes!). I want to enjoy retirement someday. I don't think I have ever used as many I sentences EVER! It is about time.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Oh man, oh man, oh man. Yesterday was brutal. I went to class at 6:30. This is the High Intensity class I am doing. I think Oz must have had some extra caffeine. The first class he gave us at least one small break for water and about 5 minutes of active stretching at the end of class. Not yesterday!
We did not stop moving. Again, I was in the pathetic group (that was a group of 1 mind you). I just couldn't keep the pace with those that have been exercising more faithfully. I know that is expected, but I am a tad bit competitive and it is so hard for me to be last...

We did a lot of upper body and core. Core? What core? I have flab not core. Seriously at one point after an ab exercise I was lying on the floor and wanted to cry.

I don't know why I thought after 3 days of working out that I would have more energy and be better prepared for class yesterday. Boy was I mistaken. I really struggled.

Ok, enough whining. Sometimes crying is a good thing. I stepped on the scale this morning and I am down 7 pounds since Sunday morning. Ok, I know, it is all water weight. Just don't tell me all the things to burst my bubble ok? At this point do we care? Just seeing the scale move makes me want to cry for joy!

Oz must be a mind reader or he could just see my frustration and complete physical exhaustion. He came over during one of the exercises called the matrix (I REALLY HATE THIS ONE). He told me, "Just do as many as you can."

After class, I asked him why I felt my performance was worse than even my first class. He reminded me of something very important.

I am very low carb right now. I don't eat many carbs at all and they are all before noon. My energy stores will be pretty low, but I am still burning fat and increasing my endurance.

BUT then here came the next conversation. He is big on engaging the core and building core in everything you do. Remember my post about all the fit people in tight spandex? He says with my loose exercise clothing he can't see my back or abs to make sure I am engaging my core correctly. He wants me to wear tighter clothes.

Hah - tighter clothes won't be an issue. Seriously all my clothes are tight right now (I refuse to buy what I call fat clothes). But let me tell you the fat and flab will be flying during class. I really don't know if I can do this. Seriously don't know if I can. I don't like my body right now. Please don't tell me I need to love my body no matter what. Please! I love myself. But I don't have to love my body right now.

I want to cry! How do you think this will look (trying to deal with this with a little humor may help?) I think people will run screaming from the gym. Anyone know where I can find something like this? I think that would keep Oz from asking me to wear tighter clothes.

Here is good news - fat is flying off my body at a fast rate right now. I know I won't continue to lose this much at this pace but I am thankful for that. Now I guess my flab will be flying and bouncing around for the whole world to see. I promise I will not post photos or videos!!!

Please send me positive thoughts on this one. Who would have thought that what I wear to exercise would be the hardest part of the journey.

I hate restarting exercise. I love restarting exercise. Yes I am psychotic. I hate how pathetic I am and I hate that I let myself quit and gain back the weight AGAIN. I hate, hate, hate, hate that. I love how I feel when I am done, even the soreness. I love that when I start moving again and eating right that my face almost immediately thins out. I loose some of the puffiness. My skin tone gets clearer. I have more energy and I sleep better. Seriously this is all in 3 days.

Anyone who has started a program like this knows the kind of muscle soreness that you get.

The love part, you know your body is burning calories and creating muscle. All of that will ultimately make you stronger.

The hate part, you can't even get up and down out of a chair. You can't lift your arms to get your shirt off at night. You can't go up and down stairs. Your children think it is hilarious and laugh at you. :)

I know I have said it before, I have been here before. So I do know that it all means progress. I am not a very patient person so getting back in shape and weight loss is a real challenge for me. I want to be at my goal NOW. I know, I know, Rome wasn't built in a day. Who said I wanted to be Rome? You didn't put the weight on overnight. No that took a lot of inactivity, beer and junk food.

My biggest fear with the muscle soreness was not being able to effectively work out again at the next class. So, let me introduce you to my saviors!

#4 Deep Relief - The name is just like what it does provide deep relief wherever I have muscle pain (which is pretty much everywhere).

#5 Ortho Sport. This is an amazing massage oil. Have a massage therapist use it in your massage or get someone to give you a home massage. Ortho Sport warms the muscles and helps eliminate soreness.

So two workouts, one Sunday and one Monday after not working out for many months left me pretty bad as you can imagine. Tuesday was an hour of hot yoga.

Both days I oiled with these oils, Aroma Siez, Copaiba, Lemongrass mixed with coconut oil. I spread it everywhere it hurt. Then topped with Deep Relief. I did this right after my workout and two - three times a day.

This morning I was pain free and my muscles were ready for today's workout!

This is not about selling you product. But I do share these products with people. If you are interested please let me know. They are amazing!

I will post more about today's class adventure. I have already started this protocol again today to hope to be ready for class Friday and Saturday. Keep moving that body!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

So yesterday marked the completion of day 2. 2 days of intense exercise and eating well with whole foods. Sunday I decided to get this old bod moving and did a ropes class. It was tough and a lot of cardio type moves. I was sore.

I reviewed my detailed report from Saturday and my body fat percentage is pathetic! Please don't say it. "Lori, you are not fat". People are so nice and polite, they think that is the right thing to say. Honestly what if you tried this instead. Suzi says, "I'm so fat, I hate it." Suggested response, "Suzi, if you feel that way and want to change your eating habits or your body I support you 100%! How can I help?"

Now small caveat here, all the super thin older females and teenage girls that really don't need to lose weight, please don't encourage them to lose weight. Encourage them to have a great self image, but that is another story. We all know when we look at someone if they could afford to be in a little better shape or make better eating choices.

Sometimes that statement is from someone reaching out for attention. "What??? You???? No way,you are not fat, you look fantastic!" Personally I would not feed into that either. Consider your answers to be non-judgmental and supportive. How about if they are thin, "If you believe yourself to be fat, might I suggest that you go talk to a nutritionist, doctor or exercise specialist? They may be able to give you some good advice."

Ok, I am not judging someone that is fat. If that is their choice and they don't want to do anything about it, that is their choice. But here is my reality.

I have gained a bunch of weight. Reality - since after my daughter was born I have gained 47 pounds. I am NOT proud of it. I did not want to write that. IT IS NOT OK FOR ME.

My skin tone is horrible

My hair and nails are brittle

I don't sleep well

I have no energy

I don't do anything well

My clothes don't fit

Bladder control issues (let's face it - I am over 50 and have had two children and am overweight)

I have lost this weight before and don't intend to gain it back EVER

But, I digress. Yesterday's class started with 20 minutes of high intensity cardio. No breaks. It was high intensity. All the people in the Athleta and LuLu Lemon spandex and tank tops running circles around me. Seriously I felt pathetic! The trainer had to actually take me on a different route so that I didn't slow down the other people. We then moved on to another 35 minutes of weight lifting type of exercises. The only break was to move and setup for the next exercise. When I went to speak with the trainer after the class, my legs were so weak I couldn't hardly sit down.

I can tell you, there was NO JUDGEMENT from the people at this class. They encouraged me, the applauded me with their comments.

For those of you that have started a new workout routine, or when you switch up a workout routine. You know how sore you can get. You can't sit, you can't go up and down stairs, you can't lift your arms. Been there done that. As miserable as it is, I know that it means I used those muscles and the recovery is going to burn fat and increase muscle!

I will write another post on what has saved my aching muscles during this process!

I am moving my body, I am eating well and I am proud of myself. I want to do this for me. I want to keep up with my kids. I want to live a long and healthy life. I want to feel great! I want it to be a lifestyle.

Today, one of my favorite things in the world, Hot Yoga. A little recovery and a lot of sweat. Don't get me wrong, it is not easy, but I feel so amazing when done with Hot Yoga.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Sometimes when you are looking to move forward with your life you have to go back to where you were. Life takes many twists and turns and often things do not go exactly as you have planned or as you anticipated. Work, family all make life an adventure.

I have been on a journey that has been very circular. That journey is weight gain and weight loss. I am starting the cycle again FOR THE LAST TIME. I want to chronicle some of this journey for many reasons! Some of those I will reveal as I go.

A LITTLE HISTORY

During high school I was not an athlete but I was active. I guess some of that was we didn't have video games (yes I am that old). We spent time outside a lot. We rode bikes, we swam at the beach, we rolled down hills and much more. During the winter, we were sledding, skating and skiing. When I was home in the summer I rode my bike for hours. It was my escape, it was my release. I had time to think. So what happened? Why did I quit letting exercise be a release? College came and went. I managed to gain the 10 pounds but that was it.

After college came the single life. Beer, pizza, junk food, late nights, lack of exercise, lack of sleep...
and a slow constant weight gain. Biking, swimming, walking all went out the window.

One day after receiving my pictures from the church directory, I looked at myself and didn't recognize myself anymore. I had no idea where to start or what to do. I had no good role models as it related to exercise or eating right. I checked out Jenny Craig. I signed up. As a single person this was actually perfect for me. Most of my meals were packaged, I only had to add things like breads, milk etc. The food was ok but not great. They had me on a ridiculously low 1000 calories a day. But I melted. One of the things that I liked was they "counted" any type of physical activity. You logged everything. I learned to be more accountable with what I did on a regular basis. Once you reached your half-way point you started slowly adding calories and adding in your own meals. I was very successful. They had weekly weigh-in's and accountability meetings. I really excelled with the accountability.

When I got married, I was the thinnest I had been since high school. But I was not in shape, I really had very little muscle. That was in 1996!

More history in another post.

Sunday I started again, regular exercise, good food and will get back in shape AGAIN.

I would love for you to join me on this journey. I am doing it for me and for my family. I have also started a Facebook group. This group is all about support and ideas. There will be no people (including me) promoting products or their business opportunity. Feel free to join!

Full disclosure - I do sell a product. IT IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCT. I use essential oils and will be highlighting any success that I have in using them during this next 30 days. I have already had a great story that I will most likely share tomorrow.